If you are in the privileged position of being trusted to take pictures of a person, or people, while they are in a state of undress, it's important that you know how to behave to put your subject and yourself at ease.

Steps

1

Obtain consent from your subject, or for very young children, from their parent. Never force anyone to let you take their photograph, when they are undressed or otherwise. It’s their choice. If parents choose to have their baby's photo taken with the baby naked, on his or her tummy on the classic lambskin rug, it's their choice.

When photographing a consenting adult, make sure your subject knows your intention is to photograph them in the nude and ensure you both have the same definition of nude - with or without flesh coloured underwear. Do not rely on information from anyone else such as a model agency or PR company. It is unwise to only have in your defence what "the agency" told you on the phone about your subject. If you and your subject agree to a different type of photo shoot when you have already stated you were expecting a nude shoot due to what "the agency" told you, things could get uncomfortable, potentially for the entire session. The last thing you want is a scared or uncomfortable face in your images, so make sure you're on the same page for a successful nude photo shoot.

If you wish to photograph a minor child nude, in addition to obtaining consent from the parents, be sure to familiarize yourself, beforehand, with your local laws regarding child pornography. Depending on the country, state, province etc where you live, it may be illegal to photograph a minor child nude, even for a bona fide artistic purpose. In any event where you do photograph a minor child nude, only do so for a bona fide purpose free of any sexual, lewd or predatory intent, and NEVER make the depiction be or appear to be sexual in any way.

2

Remove unnecessary people from the location. Models pose and act differently when people hang around staring at them, especially if that person is disrespectful. A male photographer shooting female models should always have a female assistant and vice versa to ensure appropriate behaviour and to act as a witness if any accusations are made.

3

Don't touch. If your model needs to reposition themselves, tell them or the parents. If you don't have an assistant, and the model can't achieve what you want, ask permission to touch and position them, or show them using your own body what position you need them to be in. Let your model know what you are doing -- don’t leave them guessing. You'll end up with a confused face instead of relaxed. It's always about the face, regardless what your subject is wearing, or not wearing.

4

Be respectful. Give space to change. That's private space. If you don’t have a place to let your model undress at your location, or you are outdoors, excuse yourself and leave the area, or at least turn your back. Then knock, or wait to be called. And have a robe for your model to wear when needed in case they forget to bring their own. Understand that being the subject in a nude photo shoot is not the same thing as being at a nudist beach or resort, and many nude photo subjects would never even want to go to such a place. Therefore, it’s unprofessional and unethical to have your model walk around nude when not shooting, unless your model doesn't want to wear a robe between shoots.

Respect your model's comfort zone with the poses (s)he feels okay to make. Remember that his/her body is his/her own. If you ask your model to make a certain pose, but (s)he is not comfortable making that particular pose, respect his/her choice and don't force him/her to make it.

5

If you have to walk around your model when their personal areas are exposed, explain yourself. Let them know you're going to walk around, and do so only after they acknowledge you. Keep it a respectful walk around -- for example, don’t stand behind them for an unnecessarily long time if they are on their hands and knees. Do a U-shaped walk around, shooting along the way, to give you plenty of angles to choose from.

6

Consider the lighting when shooting in nude subjects. People don’t walk around with 3000W illuminating their body. Keep it simple: everything flows better without a ton of lights and the heat associated.

The best shoots are done with one light. Keep it stationary, or shadows on walls and props might appear.

Alternatively, you could use all natural light.

7

Talk constructively when shooting nudes. Give confidence, compliment the models looks and figure, and tell them how photogenic they are. Tell your model how gorgeous and beautiful they are and crack occasional mild jokes. Jokes cause people to laugh, and laughing helps relax the facial muscles. Models rely on your positive feedback.

You're helping people by reading wikiHow

wikiHow's mission is to help people learn, and we really hope this article helped you. Now you are helping others, just by visiting wikiHow.

Barefoot College is a social enterprise with a mission to connect poor rural communities to technology and education. By doing so, they empower individuals to contribute to the wellbeing of their communities.

Click below to let us know you read this article, and wikiHow will donate to Barefoot College on your behalf. Thanks for helping us achieve our mission of helping people learn how to do anything.

Community Q&A

Tips

If you're shooting at high res and your model's skin looks shaggy, have your assistant (same sex as the model) help your model apply some body lotion. Avoid baby oil, which plugs up pores.

Try vegetable oil, the cooking type. It’s a protein, the body soaks it up fast, and you get a smooth sheen, not a shine. Always have a normal, pharmaceutical body lotion, but try teaching your models about veggie oil.

Props are good because they help tell a story. Tell a story with your images, don't show just another naked body. Put your viewer in the photo indirectly. This makes for a journalistic feel. Have a subject for your subject.

Marking an X on the ground and standing there during the entire shoot says you're an amateur. Forget the tripod and use a prime lens, which forces you to move during the photo shoot.

Turn some music on. This creates harmony on the set so that model and images flow together. A quiet room is boring. Let your model relax with music.

Let the model choose the genre -- it’s their shoot. You are there to capture their inner and outer beauty in a relaxed state.

If you want your model bent, ask them to bend and not lock their joints. The idea is for natural-looking poses.

If you use a couch, don't put your model in the middle of the couch, put them near the armrest. If a leg has to open in one direction for a provocative pose, it can rest on the couch pillow while the back is supported by the armrest.

Same for the hands -- find a resting place, like a natural body curve in the hip, or the armrest.